A Heart Saved
by coffeemione
Summary: DISCONTINUED/OLD - It’s 1914 and Kate Ellington is traveling to America on the Titanic to marry one of New York’s elite; while on the ship, she hopes to find adventure. But when the ship strikes an iceberg, will Kate find something more?
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

Before my voyage on _Titanic_, I was constantly referred to as "the Ellington girl", due to my family being quite wealthy. While my older sister Victoria Anne and my younger sister Elisabeth Charlotte bathed in the beauty of being a famous Ellington, I hated it. I hated my whole family for it, actually; everyone except my father Dave.

Father was an extraordinary man, to say the least. I've had eighteen years to figure out why he married such a wretch as Mother yet I still cannot understand it. They were two complete opposites but perhaps if Father had stayed around longer, his informal attitude would have worn off on Mother. Unfortunately, Father died when I was six years old in a car accident coming home from work one night. I can barely remember it now, but I was old enough at the time to know I had just lost a very important part of my life.

"There's more to life than riches and treasures, Kate." Father always told me that, ever since I was small enough to understand his words. Even though it's a general proverb, it always meant a great deal to me. No one else ever took it to heart, because even after Father died, Mother kept saying money was everything. I never believed her, though. Father taught me not to be like that. He taught me a lot of things, mainly because I was his favorite daughter.

After he passed away, I began to realize my place in the world. It wasn't with the children that I saw in books and papers, the ones that ran about liberally doing as they pleased. No, I was one of the children who were expected to sit straight at dinner, wear frilly dresses, and always stick their noses clear into the air. I was one of the children who didn't have any freedom.

Life went on after that, whether I willed it to or not. I was forced to attend fancy dinner parties with important looking strangers who always regarded me as "Miss Ellington." When I was still a child, I didn't understand much that was going on around me, but as I became older, it all became quite clear. Mother and my sisters _enjoyed_ feeling like a prisoner trapped in a crowded room with hundreds of people who were all born with silver spoons in their mouths. I tried on several occasions while I was still young to tell Mother that I didn't want to get dressed up and go to another party, but it never did me any good. So, I began to accept the fact that this was my life, my destiny. I was fated to be this sort of person, and fate was not something to be reckoned with. I figured it was all the best to leave my life be.

I was fifteen when Mother introduced me to William Hollings. William was a good-looking boy two years older than me with sleek blonde hair and the dullest gray eyes I've ever seen. Even though every girl my age was raving about him at the time, I detested William. I could see right through him. Father always said that was a gift of mine. William's father, Robert, was the richest man in New York then and for quite some time after. Perhaps that's why Mother was always such good friends with him.

A year passed and since our meeting, William and I grew closer than I had hoped we would. He had this awful charm that he would turn on for me and I would melt right at his feet. I was so used to my high way of life and being around such superior people that I figured William was as good as it was going to get. Yes, I was in love with William then, and he with me. When I was sixteen, he proposed to me, and I, being the fool I was, accepted. Mother, however delighted she was, was not at all surprised. As I grew older and wiser, I realized that she and Robert Hollings had set the whole proposal up just to inherit more riches.

More time passed slowly by and I began to see William for what he truly was – filthy, lying, greedy scum. He was no better than Mother when it came to titles and assets. I became somewhat of a slave to him, but I never argued; it was my way of life, I supposed. William never regarded me as the love of his life, though, but I believe I returned the favor.

Nearing my eighteenth birthday, news of the wondrous ship _Titanic struck London. Of course, Mother set out to buy the best first-class tickets she could for herself, Elisabeth, Victoria and her husband Charles, and I. Victoria, at age twenty-one, had been married to Charles for two years. Their relationship appeared to be based on more love and compassion than that of mine and William's. I never liked Charles, who was another pompous well-heeled individual. I don't think Mother cared for him much either, come to think of it. His nose was always stuck so high in the air I feared he would trip over his own feet, not seeing where he was going._

Mr. Hollings and Mother arranged the marriage a month before we left for _Titanic. Everything would work out perfectly – we would leave from Southampton and sail to New York, where my fiancé would await me. The day after our arrival, I would be officially known as Mrs. Kate Hollings. Hundreds of invitations were sent out around to world to all the most famous and rich people you could think of. This wedding – __my wedding – would be the wedding of the century, the papers said. It was an enormous deal. The ring on my finger weighed a great ton, too. It probably added on an extra fifty pounds._

The closer the date of my marriage became, the more I began to think about my life, which was something I hadn't done for years. Did I really want this? I thought. Is this right? Do I really love him? Would Father want this for me? But then, I admit, I became scared. I wasn't sure what I wanted or what was right. So I decided I would marry William and continue on with my life the way it was now. It wouldn't kill me – would it?

I remember sitting in my bedroom the night before we left for our journey. Stroking the ring on my finger and further pondering my decision, I promised myself something. I promised myself I would find out what Father's old saying really meant, for I knew that was what he would truly have wanted me to do.

"There's more to life than riches and treasures, Kate." I never would have guessed that those words held such strong a meaning, a meaning to save myself and to save others. I never would have even believed how stepping onto the _Titanic would unlock that meaning and that it would change my life forever._


	2. Arrival

**Disclaimer:** To be perfectly honest, I own only a bare minimum in this story: Kate, her family, Jack, and Anna. Any other character mentioned is either made up or was, at some point in time, a real person. And sadly, _Titanic_ (the ship) does not belong to me any more than _Titanic_ (the movie) does. Darn. Oh, well. Can't have everything in life.

**Summary:** It's 1914 and Kate Ellington is traveling to America on the Titanic to marry one of New York's elite; while on the ship, she hopes to find adventure. But when the ship strikes an iceberg, will Kate find something more?

**A Better Summary Than The One You Just Read Because That One Sucked:** "There's more to life than riches and treasures, Kate." Katherine Ellington boards the famous ship, _Titanic, in hopes of discovering the meaning to those words that her father had spoken to her so long ago. Journeying to America to marry Charles Hollings, the son of New York's richest man, isn't exactly Kate's idea of a picture perfect life, but under influence from her mother, she has learned to live with the fact that this is her destiny. But when Kate meets a mysterious man while on the ship, it is clear that fate has something else in store for her. As Kate gets a taste of the other side of life, _Titanic_ strikes an iceberg, putting her and everyone else's lives on the line. While trying to fight for her life, will Kate choose the flawless path already planned for her or will she choose the one her father would have wanted her to?_

**Rating:** PG-13, folks, for language and the fact that there's a boy, the boy likes the girl, the girl likes the boy back but is already engaged… quite the affair, I must say. Ahem.

**Author's Notes:** …So I'm sure you're all wandering what the hell I'm doing posting a story about _Titanic, of all things. Well, here's the tale. You might want to get comfortable. Perhaps grab a cup of coffee, even._

Back in the good old days of second grade (DUN DUN DUN!) when I was a mere eight-year-old completely oblivious to the world of FanFiction.net and the world of Starbucks, I was obsessed with a movie one might call _Titanic, directed by a certain James Cameron. Yeah, I know what you're thinking. "A little kid watching a movie like that? What kind of a freak do we have here?" Well, I was __not a freak. I was simply a child too mature for Barney (like all the other kids were watching), so I pursued a different movie infatuation than that of the other children. And man, did I get __fanatical. That movie was my whole life. I lived it, breathed it, ate it, dreamed it, and watched it twice a day. Then, in third grade, a good friend of mine that may or may not be known as Lyz introduced me to the wonderful world of Harry Potter and _Titanic_ lay forgotten at the back of my naïve mind. Then came __fourth grade… boy, Camp Tecumseh was something…_

Fast-forward to the future.

About a month ago, my mom and I came home from shopping at Saks (a store at the mall that is really fun to walk around in, pretending you're all rich and stuffy, while standing next to inanimate mannequins… jolly good fun…) and my little sister was watching a Disney movie, Halloweentown, that had been taped over a taped version of _Titanic_. About a minute after we walked in the door, Halloweentown ended and a great big ship in the middle of an ocean appeared on the screen. I realized it was _Titanic, and as I sat down to watch it, I quickly became re-possessed with my long-time passion. Two days later, I could be found sitting fixated in front of my television with my own copy of the DVD._

And thus, it began once more. I watched the movie so many times again that I had it memorized… again. I also discovered two _Titanic_ soundtrack CDs hidden under my bed… I _do_ wonder how they got there…

So, anyway, that's my life story in a nutshell _and _the reason I'm posting this story here. But no worries! I'm not giving up on Harry Potter or any of that – actually, I just read a _superb HP fan fiction this morning and spent all day talking about it to people who really didn't care. _Titanic_, the movie and the ship, is just so fascinating that I felt I had to become a part of it. And now this little baby that I like to call a fan fiction has been born. Aw, it's so cute…_

I know I've never finished any of my past stories – yes, it's an awful habit; perhaps my New Year's resolution will be to finish all of my fan fictions to the delight of my readers… remind me of that again in two months – but I think this one is SERIOUSLY going to make it this time. It feels like a keeper. And I've already written quite a lot of it.

There is one thing, however, that I feel is highly important to address.

**PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO THE FOLLOWING.**

There, that got your interest, didn't it?

This story isn't meant to be totally sincere and original. Really, I'm only writing it so I'll be able to control my crazed obsession with _Titanic. But I'm also writing it because lately, I can't find any freakin plot bunnies hopping around my yard. Darn all the plot bunnies._

To put it bluntly, this story is a major copy of the story of Ross and Rose. There is an engaged first class girl that falls in love with a poor third class boy against all the force in the world that forbid them to do so. During their time together, the boy teaches the girl about all the things in life that _do matter. They remain in love as the ship goes down, and one of them dies while the other does on to live their life as the other would have wanted them to, rightfully. Sound like the movie to you?_

So, if you do not like the idea of _Titanic_ being ripped-off, get out of this webpage now and go read one of my other stories – perhaps one of my Artemis Fowl stories as they are both quite good and amusing and I enjoy priding myself in them. REMEMBER: it's all in good fun. And if you've never seen the movie _Titanic,_ it doesn't matter – you don't have to know anything about it or the ship at all.

Jesus Christ O'Malley, that had to be the longest introduction I've ever written, and for several reasons. I felt this story needed quite an explanation, and I've also been fuelled on Coke and pizza all day. I've scared quite the number of people offline simply with my away messages too. One friend told me to "get help, dear; just get help." It's late, and I should be in bed, but I'm putting this on the internet for your amusement… I expect lots and lots of reviews, people, for my hard work. 

Now, if any of you actually _read_ all that up there (that took longer to write than the actual story did…), you may continue on. If you didn't read everything, then let me summarize it.

**Summarization of the previous information: This story is about a green monkey that travels to the moon and dies. If you wish to hear some of the happier prospects of the story, read ALL of the notes above.**

Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you…

*A green monkey walks onto the stage with a white envelope in hand*

Monkey (let's call him Fred… no, he is not Curious George's twin brother) *in handsome male voice*: Ladies and gentlemen, may I present to you…

Me: Hey, I already said that!

Fred: My deepest apologies, O Goddess of FanFiction.net. May I present to you…

**A Heart Saved.  
  
**

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**CHAPTER ONE – ARRIVAL  
**_Morning of __April 10, 1912__ at __Southampton__  
__11:30 a.m.****_

On the cheerful and sunny morning of April 10, 1912, I stepped out of our well-appointed car to gaze up at the largest ship my eyes had ever seen. The _R.M.S. Titanic loomed ahead of me, awaiting more than 2,200 passengers to board. It seemed to stretch on for miles and miles when it was actually only 883 feet long._

Elisabeth stepped out after me, acting like she was the Queen. She wrinkled up her face and said to me, "It's a lot smaller than I imagined. The way the papers were describing it, you'd expect it to be quite more luxurious, wouldn't you?"

That was Elisabeth's attitude about everything. Nothing was ever good enough for her, not even a 46,328 ton ship right in front of her nose. She wanted the whole world to bow down at her feet, and she was but a mere sixteen-year-old!

I felt my baggage being dropped at my side but I didn't notice. I was too engrossed with the amazing scene in front of me. For the moment, I had forgotten all of my troubles and worries. I knew setting foot on that ship itself would be an adventure. I distinctly heard Mother, who'd stepped out of the car behind ours, chatting good-naturedly to Victoria about the range of class on this "boat."

"No, no, no," I then heard Charles's voice say. "You expect her to carry all that onto the ship and to her room on her own? Fine man you are. Take it away now…" A moment later, I sensed my baggage being swept away and replaced with the body of Charles.

"Small?" he asked, staring up at _Titanic_. Elisabeth and I still hadn't moved. "I don't imagine one would ever use the words 'small' and '_Titanic_' in the same sentence together, my dear Elisabeth. And I assure you, its grandeur is expressed on the inside, not the out."

Charles had somewhat of an important job on _Titanic_. He was the Master of the Keys and quite highly respected just because his rich father recommended him for the job. He only carried around all the keys to every place on the ship, but he acted as if he built the thing himself and knew all about it (which he did not.) Truly, he acted the bighead about everything, but I think I was the only one who noticed, for everyone else only liked him for his money.

Charles was called away to do some sort of key check and Elisabeth went off as well. Mother walked up behind me; I could hear the "swish-swish" of her fine gown, so I knew it was her. She placed a hand on my shoulder and whispered, "Happy birthday."

I swung around to face her and I realized that I had absolutely forgotten my own birthday. The excitement of the _Titanic_ had washed away the anticipation of turning eighteen. Yet how in the world did Mother, of all people, remember?

She examined my face. "You didn't forget, did you, Kate?"

"Forget… what?"

"The celebration?"

I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about, so I told her. "Whatever are you talking about, Mother? What celebration?"

Mother laughed pleasantly and smiled. "No one told you, did they, dear? Tonight, we reserved the first class reception room to give you a party. Not just a party for your birthday, but also a celebration for your engagement and marriage to William. Isn't it wonderful? We've invited everyone with a name, Kate. Let's see, there's Mr. Ismay, the Astors, the Thayers…" 

She continued listing off every honorably affluent passenger on the ship but I wasn't listening. That night, there was to be a party for me? A birthday party didn't sound so appalling in itself. Perhaps it would be more of a _party and not just a group of people standing around conversing about politics and funds. But a celebration for my marriage to William? For an odd reason, that brought a queasy feeling into the pit of my stomach._

A whistle sounded somewhere and I felt a tugging at my arm. "Come, Katherine," Victoria said bossily. "You don't want to be late, do you? They might make us ride steerage!" She gave an airy laugh before descending onto the stairs with the other first class passengers. I took one last look at the colossal building in front of me before following Victoria onto the stairs.

A steward at the door was greeting the travelers and checking their tickets. Along with the others, I walked into a dreadfully lavish lobby on B-deck decorated in scarlet and gold. Women dressed in bulking furs with dozens of jewels around their necks were standing about chatting and pointing around the room. I looked down at my long, white, layered dress with transparent sleeves and frills at the end and self-consciously touched my large-brimmed white hat to match. Despondently, I felt that I fit right in with the women around me.

"Come, Katherine," Mother said to me. "Our staterooms are just down here."

I followed Mother, Elisabeth, and Victoria down a passageway to the left that was decked out in blue and white. Mother stopped halfway down the corridor, in front of room B-51. "This shall be my room. Elisabeth, you will be sharing it with me; Katherine is in B-53; and Victoria and Charles shall be in room B-55."

She handed out keys to each of us. I took mine and unlocked the door to B-53. I gasped as I walked into my room and swung around to take in all of my surroundings. There were chairs, sofas, and tables in an orderly fashion across the room – I took this to be the sitting room. The carpet was a beautiful cream color and the wallpapered walls were something of a dark red. Everything was so terribly fancy and classy. I hadn't expected anything quite like _this on board the _Titanic_. There was an adjoining room to the right and an easy glance told me it was the bedroom. There were several other rooms branching out from the bedroom, one being the bathroom, another the private promenade, but I didn't investigate them at the time. I heard another whistle and knew it was signaling our leave. Without so much as telling Mother and the others where I was going, I left my posh stateroom and found my way to the boat deck without getting lost. Thousands of people surrounded the ship, all waving good-bye to their loved ones. I found an empty space at one of the railings and waved to the people below, whether or not I knew them. It was an exhilarating moment; everyone was as excited to start off on their journey as I._

The ship gave a small jerk and we were off. Screams and shouts of "I'll miss you!" were flying through the air. The famous _Titanic_ was finally on its way to New York Harbor. I felt like one of the luckiest people in the world to be on such an incredible ship. And before Victoria came out onto the deck to drag me back to my room, I stood there waving until I thought my arm would fall off. I, Katherine Marie Rose Ellington III, was on the renowned ship of dreams.

_Later – April __10  
1:34 p.m.___

The _Titanic was like a fantasy in every way imaginable. During the whole voyage, I was torn between amazement and dread; from one view, I was on the grandest ship in the world, and from another, I was being dragged to America so I could wed William and become his slave. As much as I tried to forget that part of the deal, it was ever so hard with Mother constantly counting down the days until I would be Mrs. Katherine Hollings._

We had lunch with a respectable group that afternoon in the Café Parisien. I do believe that along with Mother, Elisabeth, Victoria, Charles, and I were J.J. Astor, Thomas Andrews (who designed the _Titanic_), Grace Bowen (a Governess), Benjamin Guggenheim, and Isidor and Roaslie Stratus. They talked mainly about politics and gossip, and I do believe I heard the words "Katherine" and "wedding" and "party" dragged into the conversation as well, but I was hardly listening. There wasn't much I could have said – if I would have stood up and screamed at the top of my lungs, none of them would have so much as looked up. But by then, I had learned to compose myself to make it appear as though I was rather interested in their talk while I utterly was not.

About an hour into the prim lunch, I began feeling irksome and tedious, so I took out a cigarette from my handbag. Mother always said a young woman like myself wasn't one to smoke, but I never listened, of course. With the lighter I also carried around with me, I lit the cigarette and blew a puff of gray smoke into the center of the table. No one payed much attention with the exception of Elisabeth, who widened her eyes and mouthed clearly, "What are you doing?" I smiled slightly, something I hadn't done through the whole meal, and gave out another puff. Elisabeth tried to catch my eye again and I caught her mouthing, "Put it out." I continued to smoke the cigarette like I hadn't seen her until she spoke up.

"Katherine," she said prudishly and slowly, "what are you doing?"

The whole table looked at Elisabeth in annoyance, for she had just interrupted one of the Governess's long and dull speeches, and then to me, in bewilderment. Victoria rolled her eyes and swiftly grabbed the cigarette out of my mouth, putting it out in the ashtray. "Stupid girl," she muttered to me. Then aloud, she said, "Do carry on, Governess. I apologize for my younger sister's rude disturbance."

The Governess carried on and the whole of the table became engrossed in her story again, excluding Mother. As I was lighting a new cigarette away from Victoria's grasp, she leaned in and whispered in my ear, "I don't know what you think you're doing, Katherine. You know a young lady does not smoke."

I turned to face her and considered puffing smoke into her face. "I know, Mother."

"I won't have my daughter behaving like this." She tore the cigarette out of my hand at the same moment the rest of the table broke into laughter at something the Governess said. "You will not smoke in this room ever again, and I suggest you transform into the young lady you are expected to be now or you can leave."

I stared at her for a moment, contemplating everything. Then I stood and grabbed my handbag. Our lunch guests looked up at me again as I announced, "Thank you for the pleasure of your company this afternoon, but now I must be excused." With that, I walked away from the table quick enough before Mother could reach out and grab my arm. I could only imagine the look on her face after I left, but it was all to my satisfaction.

As I turned out the door of the Café Parisien, an idea struck me. I smiled to myself and purposefully ran around the Aft Grand Staircase and down the B-deck cabins to room B-62. I quickly entered and locked the door, not wanting any disturbance in my plan.

I happily undressed while dancing around the room, singing. I was so relieved to get that tight frill of a dress off. I twirled around a few chairs and a table as I threw the horrid dress onto the floor and kicked the shoes off to boot. Then I went into the closet and searched for the plainest-looking clothes I owned.

I came out again wearing a simple blue double-layered dress with a matching hat. My hair was still in an up-do, but I knew I didn't have much time; the party would begin just as we would dock at Cherbourg, so I left it. Back in the sitting room, I marveled at myself in the mirror. I believed that I had done quite a good job on myself.

It was a little past two o'clock when I opened the door to my parlor suite and, checking that no one I knew was coming up or going down the hall, departed down the corridor to the Grand Staircase. I was still unfamiliar with the ship and probably took a lot more time than was necessary to get up to the boat deck, down to the second class promenade, onto the Well Deck, and to the gates of the third class entrance. I took a deep breath as I stood there, for I felt as if I were plunging into the icy waters beneath the ship. The Well Deck was empty except for me, and I could hear voices drifting down from the second class promenade. Thoughts of _Do you really want to do this?_ ran hurriedly across my mind until I decided that the answer was yes.

Mother didn't want me to smoke when we were in the Café Parisien. But she never said anything about me smoking in the third class smoke room.

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Okay, so the cliffies will become more intense as the story grows. Just you wait… *casts an evil eye around the room* All of ye, just ye wait… just ye wait…

Ahem. Pardon.

Well, it's late, and my friend online is interrogating me about double-spacing when I have no clue what double-spacing _is_ in the first place. Must consult God of All Knowledge… requires sacrifice… where's Crookshanks when you need him?!

Now, **review, or I will throw you off the side of the ship! Bwahahaha!**


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